Working in Weddings, we get to be a part of so many different traditions and learn about cultures from all over the world! Last month, we were so thrilled to help Rati and Ipsit transform the oversized stage in their banquet hall into a gorgeous focal point for the evening. The stage had to serve multiple purposes: offering a grand centerpiece for their receiving line and a location for a family traditional dance to take place later in the evening. In addition to creating a beautiful backdrop, we had to make sure it was moveable and allowed enough space for their dancers. With some creativity and lighting tricks, we worked within their budget to create the stage of their dreams! 

We have special place in our hearts for destination weddings. When we met Jessica and she told us the reasoning behind wanting to have her Wedding as a vacation for her friends and family, I knew we'd get along! It took us awhile to find the perfect location in Florida - but once we did, Hammock Beach was definitely the place! In beautiful Palm Coast, it's a spansive property with beautiful views and plenty of opportunity to relax! You'd never even know that the sky opened up and it started to downpour halfway into their ceremony. They danced the night away as if it was all  apart of the plan!

​Photographer: Two Hearts Photography
Venue: Hammock Beach
Florist: Art Among the Flowers

Mother’s Day is right around the corner and that means its time to spoil our mommas like they deserve! What better way to do that than to make her a yummy (and Instagram worthy) cocktail? Here are a few of our favorite bubbly cocktails for you to incorporate into your Mother’s Day celebration!
​
1. Prosecco Margarita
This is a fun twist on a traditional cocktail and super easy to make in large batches!

2. Raspberry Mint Fizz
This is one of our favorite fruity and bubbly cocktails, that we know your mom will love too!

3. Strawberry Lillet Spritzer
This refreshing drink is not only delicious, but so pretty too!

When the Edmondson's told us the venue they wanted to host their daughter's graduation party was called the American Heritage Museum, we were prepared for a historical house celebrating colonial New England. No lie, our jaws dropped to the floor when we first stepped into the venue to see the large collection of tanks, planes, boats and war memorabilia on display. Our wheels started turning of the amazing things we could do with the space - but balancing the amazing displays with bringing in the family's personal style was one our favorite challenges to date. 

We incorporated the family's large collection of aritaware as centerpieces and floral vases throughout the venue. It also inspired our color scheme, red, white and blue - which of course went perfectly with the venue's historic pride! Guests drank Military Mules out of tin mugs while getting personal tours of the Collings Foundation collection. Needless to say, this one is for the books!

Planning a Wedding is hard. So is math. Our goals it make things as easy as possible for our brides, so we have these few simple tricks to help you figure Wedding things when it comes to numbers. 

INVITATIONS

• Ordering invitations can be confusing. Trying to count how many you'll need when it breaks down to couples, family members can also be overwhelming to ensure you're being smart with your budget but still ordering enough. Here's a little equation that we recommend:
  • Individual Invitees / 2 + extra (see chart below)
    • (under 100) 15
    • (under 150) 20
    • (under 200) 25
    • (200+) 30

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WEDDING GUEST COUNT

• A lot of couples ask us how many people they should plan to actually come from their invite list. Now of course, this can vary from Wedding to Wedding with a lot of different factors like location of the Wedding and location of where your guests live. Overall, we find the below drop-off is a good rule of thumb.
  
  • Local Wedding: 10-15%
  • Destination Wedding - 15-20% (of guests that could make the trip)

GUEST COUNT PER TABLE

• When it comes to thinking about your floorplan, the first starting point is to find out what sized tables are at your disposal so you can best start to put together your assignments. Here's a quick cheat:
  • 60" Round - 8-10 Seated
  • 72" Round - 10-12 Seated

Most days we love our job. But some days, we really REALLY love our job. Back in February we curated a dream styled shoot featuring some of our favorite trends for Spring 2019. In collaboration with some of our favorite partners, we came out of it was stunning photos that we are overjoyed to share with you! Follow us in Instagram @kellyelizabethevents to learn about each trend. 

VENDOR PARTNERS
Golden Door Photography
Photographer
www.goldendoorphoto.com
@goldendoorphoto

Boston Society of Architects
Venue
www.architects.org
@bsaaia

Borrowed Blu
Tabletop Rentals
www.borrowedblu.com
@borrowedblu

Blanche Paperie
Menu Cards
www.blancepaperie.com
@blanchepaperie

Mozaiko
Floral Chargers
www.getmozaiko.com
@getmozaiko

Peak Event Services
Linens + Chairs
www.peakeventservices.com
@peakeventservices

Over the years, we have had the pleasure of working with clients with weddings of all shapes and sizes. No matter the format, number of guests, location, budget etc, something that's always helpful is what we call a Wedding Audit about 4-5 weeks out. With our Day of Coordination Plus clients, we meet with them at this time before their wedding and go through every detail of the plans. There are a few reasons this is important:

• 4-5 weeks is the sweet spot for resolving any questions/concerns. Most problems can be resolved or additional vendors found.
• You are not supposed to be an expert! Most likely, you have not planned a Wedding before. This evaluation will help do a check and balance of any traditions you may not have integrated but still want included.
• Peace of mind: why leave everything to the last minute? Doing this check will give you your final to-do list and help you feel organized going into the final days before your Wedding

We love doing this with our clients and find its such a useful exercise for them to go through to think about what they actually still need to do or realize they are even more prepared then you thought! 

Key things we discuss with our couples:

• ​Vendor Contracts: It's important to note when all your final payments are due and what information is due to them when in the final month before you wedding. If you don't already know any requirements they have for their setup on-site, reaching out to them to request these is also important. 
• Formalities: What formalities and traditions will be taking place during the Wedding? This includes the outline of the ceremony, introductions during the reception, toasts, formal dances (parent dances, first dance) etc. 
• Utilities: This doesn't apply to everyone, but those having tent and/or backyard weddings, thinking about power, water and lighting for the space is important. 
• Marriage License: As obvious as this may sound, ensuring you apply for your marriage licences with plenty of lead time is a important reminder. 
• Transportation: How are you and your partner getting to the ceremony and necessary locations? A simple logistics often forgotten about and last minute Ubers are called. 

Looking for a Wedding Audit? Contact us to schedule yours!

We are knee deep in engagement season! The holidays and New Year are a popular time for couples to decide to tie the knot. And after the excitement settles down, it's time to think about the wedding. We've previous given you tips on the first steps to take after you get engaged - but now that you've gotten that far - you can think about what type of wedding you'd like!

Destination weddings are one of our favorite to produce. They may seem overwhelming and more difficult to plan (and they can be), but there are lot of positives that make wedding guests say (every damn time!) - "that was the best wedding i've every gone to." So if you're on the verge of taking that leap or you're still thinking it through - here are some reasons why you won't regret it:

We say the true definition of a destination wedding is when EVERYONE is on vacation - including you. Pick a resort or town where there is a lot to do and your guests can explore and relax without you needing to constantly entertain them. They'll get a vacation out of it - and if they don't have a good time on vacation - well then there's something wrong with them. Let's face it - most people are a lot happier and stress-free on vacation, and isn't that what you want?

This really should have been number one, but it was a close call. The purpose of a wedding is to celebrate the couple and their families coming together to start this new journey. Your friends and family are going to be interacting for the rest of your lives, so using the wedding as an opportunity for everyone to bond is key. With a destination wedding - guests have multiple opportunities to get to know each other, and by the time the Wedding comes - Uncle Joe and your friend from work will be spinning each other on the dancefloor as if they've known each other for years. Trust me, this comes from experience. 

Unfortunately, traveling to a destination wedding is not possible for everyone. Health, budget, age, work etc are all factors that can conflict with a guest's ability to make the trip. This is definitely something to take into consideration. If you just cannot get married without your Grandmother who is just too old to make a trip that far, a Destination Wedding may not be for you. It's not a heartless move to still move forward with the Destination though. There are plenty of ways to celebrate with friends and family who can't make the trip before or after your Wedding. For those that want an easy way to weed out guests from their list? Well people take not being invited to a Wedding a lot easier when you can say "it's just a small destination wedding." Shadey maybe? But fact. 

It is inevitable that your guests will spend extra money on something for your wedding. They are expensive. Whether they need to get a room for the night, a babysitter, or even fly/travel - majority of weddings require some additional spend. So wouldn't you rather they just spend it towards something they get to celebrate personally also? We aren't avoiding that they can be more expensive for your guests - but if you do your research and do it right - it can be affordable and help their money go further. This also goes for your budget. Many tropical resorts are cheaper and you can get more for your $50,000 budget than one night in your local city. TIP: All-inclusive resorts are great and help offset some of your guests allowing you to wine and dine your guests with more entertainment. 

This reason is simple. All the planning, stress and anticipation that goes into planning a Wedding, making it just one night is just a shame. Extend the party to a weekend or week and have a Destination Wedding. 

The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year, especially when it comes to decor. If someone really let me, I could really do some damage at Home Goods filling up my cart with holiday decorations. Unfortunately the size of my home (and budget) don't quite support that!

Luckily, what I love doing almost just as much as DIY decor. I easily fall in love with so many wreaths that I see in stores, and they're always so expensive! Now I don't have your typical wreath aesthetic, I much prefer feathers and bling, and those ring up at an even high price point. 

So I put my creative brain to the test and honestly, this is one of my favorite projects. I always love a Dollar Tree craft, but the way this one turned out is on another level! I encourage you to try this - and even see what accessories inspire you when you head inside the store! 

OH - and this cost me less than $8!!!

What you Need (I purchased these all at Dollar Tree!)
- Wreath Frame
- White Boa
- Various Snowflake/Star Ornaments
- Silver Feather Ornament
- Pipe Cleaners. 

1. Find a clean large surface to construct. Lay your wreath frame down. Wrap your frame with the white boat. I find a combination of wrapping and weaving worked best to keep it in place and to equally space it out around the frame. 

2. Now place your ornaments around the wreath in a pattern that you like. This is your opportunity to be creative! Once you have them placed, start with the larger ornament and secure with pipe cleaners. To do this, weave a pipe cleaner through 2 spaces on the back (see below photo). 

3. Secure pipe cleaner and ornament by wrapping the two ends of the pipe cleaner around the wreath frame and twisting to hold in place. Continue this for each piece and arrange feathers to hide any pieces you don't want to see.

I initially joined Lindsay and Dee's Wedding as their Day-of Coordinator to ensure it all went as seamless as possible for them. As many times in the wedding planning process, obstacles arose and they need some extra support putting together the look and feel for a space they felt didn't completely represent them. I was thrilled to take their floral theme into The Essex Room and reflect their spirit from floor to ceiling. We literally brought their floral crowns up to the chandeliers and filled the room with bud vases and candles the created a romantic garden ambiance. It was truly such a pleasure to work with them and it was a fantastic night captured so beautifully by Addie Roberge Photography! Enjoy!